Prioritising the national dementia guideline recommendations to facilitate implementation in general practice

Problem

The national dementia guidelines in Australia aim to improve the quality and consistency of care provided to people with dementia and their carers. General Practitioners (GPs) play a key role in dementia care however, the guidelines consist of 109 recommendations which presents challenges for GPs in determining which to apply in their practice.The aims of this study were to determine which components of care are most important for GPs to implement and to identify those requiring the greatest need for support for GP implementation.

Approach

Key stakeholder organisations in general practice were approached for representation in this Delphi study. Forty-seven participants (42 GPs, 4 practice nurses, 1 medical services director) completed two rounds of online surveys.

Findings

Six out of 21 components of care were identified as the most important for GPs to implement: Principles of care, Ethical and legal issues, Early identification, Information and support for the person with dementia, Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia and Support for carers. Five components of care were identified as requiring the greatest need for support for GP implementation: Ethical and legal issues, Barriers to access and care, Organisation of health services, Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, and Support for carers.

Consequences

The findings from this study will inform the development of an intervention to support the implementation of national dementia guidelines by GPs.